Bundesbank President Weidmann has again pointed out the risks associated with government bond purchases in the Eurosystem. In a speech to students and lecturers, he argued that they blurred the boundary between monetary and fiscal policy. The zero interest rate environment provided perceptible relief for highly indebted states, he explained, warning that “[y]ou don’t need to be a "nattering nabob of negativism" to fear that there may be political pressure on the ECB’s Governing Board to postpone any normalisation of monetary policy out of concern for public finances.” .

Interviews with Bundesbank President Dr Joachim Nagel and by the members of the Executive Board in various media.

Contributions by Dr Jens Weidmann, Bundesbank president and members of the board who have appeared in national and international newspapers.

The German economy has picked up momentum. Aggregate output is expanding at a faster pace again after an interruption due to the escalation of the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area. The driving forces are changing, however. While external impulses had the upper hand following the economic and financial crisis, domestic economic activity has come to fore recently.

The Bundesbank sees the German economy as still being on a sound growth path. For 2017, it has, in fact, raised its earlier projection. According to Bundesbank President Weidmann, the cyclical tailwind is being sustained chiefly by the favourable labour market situation and substantial increases in households' real disposable income.

Die deutsche Wirtschaft sieht sich gegenwärtig in einem schwierigen Umfeld. Dennoch erwartet die Deutsche Bundesbank eine Fortsetzung des Aufschwungs.

Banknoten und Münzen sind alles andere als ein Auslaufmodell. Daran erinnerte Vorstandsmitglied Carl-Ludwig Thiele beim zweiten Bargeldsymposium der Bundesbank im Frankfurter Hilton-Hotel und betonte, dass Bargeld nach wie vor das beliebteste Zahlungsmittel in Deutschland sei.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Germany’s upswing to continue in 2015, according to the preliminary conclusions of the "Article IV consultations" for Germany. Growth is being supported mainly by private consumption, according to the Fund. The IMF's economists recommend that Germany use the favourable cyclical position in order to accomplish important policy objectives.

The German economy is currently in a difficult environment. Nevertheless, in its new projection for 2012 and 2013, the Deutsche Bundesbank expects the upturn to continue.

The €500 note is to be abolished, and ceilings on cash payments are being discussed - and yet coins and notes remain Germany's favourite medium of payment. These were some of the topics discussed by constitutional scholars and representatives of banks, the retail trade, consumer protection and the Bundesbank, among other parties, at the Bundesbank's third cash symposium.